Thursday, May 11, 2017

For starters, raise your hand if you LOVE lists. And I'm talking about any sort of list: grocery list, to do list, best-of list, Christmas list, checklist or even a David Letterman Top 10 list.

Personally, I like making to do lists so much that I often completely rewrite my list even if I've only marked off a couple things or wrote it sloppily in haste. It has to look pristine - something that brings me comfort and pride as I mark off a completed item, whether at work or at home. I may even color code it with different pens or highlighters. (Stop judging!) But an everyday to do list carries only marginal weight. It really only encompasses your tasks for the day or the week. You don't usually put something months down the road on your measly, little to do list. Well, at least I don't. That's where a bucket list comes in.

The Art of Manliness recently tweeted out a link to a 2009 article by an author with the name of Chris about how to create a solid bucket list. He stressed that even though you're getting older, it doesn't mean you should give up on your childhood aspirations. In fact, you now have more money to your name and are probably actually closest to being able to accomplish those goals than ever before! And writing those goals down is already one step closer to achieving them - no matter how lofty or crazy other people might think they are.

"Sure, you have more responsibility now than when you were a kid, but you also have far more capability. The things you could once only dream of are now within your reach; why not take hold of them?"

In the article, we are provided with some instructions/tips on how to construct a bucket list. Let's run through them one by one and see what we can make of it.#1: Materials

A legitimate bucket list is a big deal that should have life-altering consequences, so we're instructed not to write it on something that can easily get lost, or something that sits on a shelf and never gets opened more again. The list should always be close by for two reasons: 1) so you can easily add to it, and 2) so you're always aware of it. I plan on having mine on my desk when I'm at home, and along with me whenever I go to work or out of town.

The article recommends a Moleskine notebook by name, so I picked one up at Target ($19.95 for a 5.25x8.25 notebook - which is apparently a dollar cheaper online). It's not quite pocket-sized, but it's also not a full-fledged 8.5x11 notebook you used to take notes in school. It's that perfect in-between size.

To keep us from easily erasing goals down the road, we're instructed to use pen to write our list , so I grabbed a couple from the office supply cabinet at work. Let's be honest - I'd already spent too much on the notebook, so I had to find some cheaper options for my writing utensils. Can't beat free!!

#2: Writing the List

Now I'll admit, I already have a pretty extensive bucket-ish list typed up in Evernote (a program we'll hopefully work in a later post), so I had a little bit of a head start here. However, knowing that I'm officially writing these in pen in a notebook designated for my life's ambitions adds a little gravity to the situation. However, the article states that if a goal is important to you, no matter how big, it should make the list. (Full transparency, I wrote out a "practice list" in a different notebook first...Remember my "pristine" comment earlier?)

"Life is short, but not short enough that you can't get a lot done before the final buzzer. Nothing is too insignificant...so don't leave anything out that is important to you."

My bucket list items are all over the place. My brain officially goes AWOL when it comes to making lists like this. I created goals for many different areas of my life: career, health & fitness, relationships, faith, hobbies and travel. And I'm sure more will come to me after I finish up this post. Here are just a few examples:

In the end, I wrote down 22 different items on my official Bucket List. Here are the ones on this page as well as a few others:

Participate in a Spartan Race

Learn How to Play the Piano and/or Guitar

See the Northern Lights

Go Skydiving

Change Jobs / Have a Career in Sports

Own a House

Get Back to My High School Weight

Digitize & Edit Old, Family Videos

#3: Maintaining the List

This is the part that is probably the hardest for all of us. It's easy to float away on a cloud of dreams and life goals, but once you have to face the music and stare down what you just wrote on that page, the reality hits you like a truck and you start questioning the items you were so eager to take on ten minutes ago. But think of the feeling you'll have once you can finally cross that life-long goal off that bucket list! And once one is completed, the next one will come that much easier!

In order to accomplish what we just wrote down, Chris instructs us to keep our list somewhere we can see it at least once a day and write down our progress. For this reason, I only put a few goals on each page - to leave room for notes and/or updates. Now we start making progress one day at a time, or one decision at a time! And don't erase any of your goals!

During the life of The Magazine Experiment, I really hope I will be able to cross off some of these goals along with you. And if I do, I promise to document them here. I encourage you to try this exercise as well - and let me know what goals you put down on YOUR bucket list! Tweet some of your favorite goals to me @MagExperiment on Twitter!

Also, make sure to check out The Art of Manliness. This site has a wealth of articles, tips and tricks for ANYTHING related to men or about men. You have a question about it? Chances are good that it's on the site.